Mobile and Broadband Taskforce.

clohamon

Mobile & BB Taskforce seems to be permanently self-isolating .
https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2020-09-17a.52&s=mobile+taskforce#g53.q

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
31. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if she has met with the Mobile Broadband Taskforce since her appointment as Minister. [24446/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
The Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce was launched in July 2016 to be a driving force for improving access to telecommunications services throughout Ireland.
Since its inception, the Taskforce has addressed more than 70 targeted actions to alleviate connectivity barriers and resolve issues that negatively impacted on the rollout of essential telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas.
The completion of the Taskforce’s 2019 Work Programme marked the end of the Taskforce as originally constituted. A Final Three-Year Review Report, detailing the progress made by the Taskforce since 2016, is due for publication in Q4 of this year.
Attention has now turned towards the future orientation of the Taskforce in line with the Programme for Government commitment to continue to support the work of the group.
While I have not yet had an opportunity to meet the Taskforce members, officials from my Department and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment have had engagements with the members and with industry on the future direction of the group. Based on these engagements, the Departmental officials are actively discussing future options for the Taskforce, to ensure it remains effective in enhancing the quality of mobile phone and broadband services around Ireland.
I envisage that a new direction for the Taskforce will be agreed in the near future which will build on the success and positive engagement of the group up to now across central government, local government, statutory agencies and industry.

The last report of the Taskforce (Q3 2019) is here
https://www.dccae.gov.ie/documents/2019_12_11_Q3%20Report%20Final%20to%20publish.pdf

It details 18 actions that were still underway or not yet started as of December 2019.

clohamon

The Mobile and BB Taskforce has been reconvened. The "Final Three-Year Review Report" mentioned in the OP, and due late 2020, remains unpublished. It'll meet twice a year from now apparently.

It's just as well it's been reconvened because the Department of Communications has been suggesting to the European Commission that the Taskforce has been active all this time.

The Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce, in liaison with relevant stakeholders and function-owners, to consider whether the development of standardised policy for accessing and utilising State and publicly-owned assets for the deployment of telecommunications infrastructure is required and appropriate, notwithstanding obligations imposed under the EECC.

DECC submission to European Commission Connectivity Toolbox (May 2021) - best practice #18

Notable omissions from reconvened Taskforce-:

• Any consumer group
• Any mobile or fixed-line engineers
• The Department of Finance - who control ComReg's spectrum allocation and coverage conditions.
• ComReg (who won't have to answer awkward questions - see above, or explain why their unhelpful, un-maintained, broken-linked 'Single Information Point' is the worst in Europe.
• The Commission for Regulation of Utilities (who won't have to explain why ESB won't share their passive infrastructure)
• OIC/OCEI - who won't have to explain why it's so difficult to get information from ESB about their passive infrastructure.

Agencies/entities not mentioned-: 

• TII, who control permitting and ducting on national roads.
• CIE, who control permitting on bridges.
• reps from PPPs who control access on private motorway sections.

Notable inclusions-:

• 'ASAI' - Hopefully that's a typo and they mean SEAI.

Here's the official spiel from DECC

The Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce is made up of senior officials from Government Departments, Statutory Agencies, and Local Government and engages with representatives of the telecommunications industry.

The Taskforce is Co-Chaired by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, and Minister of State with responsibility for Communications and the Circular Economy, Ossian Smyth TD.

The Taskforce was first established in 2016 to identify and address barriers to improved mobile phone and broadband services in areas with poor connectivity ahead of the roll out of the National Broadband Plan. Over the course of three years, it drove significant developments in operational practice, policy development and engagement between the pubic and commercial sector.

The Taskforce was advised and supported in its work by ComReg.

The reconvened Taskforce consists of

Department of Rural and Community Development

Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (and agencies)

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

Department of Transport (and agencies)

LGMA

CCMA

Road Management Office

ASAI

The work of the Taskforce is supported by ComReg, who act as independent advisors to the Taskforce, and ongoing engagement with Ibec on behalf of the Telecommunications Industry.

The Taskforce will meet bi-annually. 

clohamon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118336929#Comment_118336929

According to DECC's recent response to the European Commission's Connectivity Toolbox the Taskforce's 'stakeholders' now include additionally;

• Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII);
• Local Authorities (LAs)
• Broadband Officers (BBOs);
• The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg);
• Mobile Network Operators;
• Industry representative Bodies
• Office of Public Works (OPW).

The response also indicates the Taskforce was due to meet before the end of April.

clohamon

The Department has updated the Mobile and Broadband Taskforce webpage. It is supposed to meet twice a year since it was re-established. A meeting was scheduled for this month but minutes have not been posted.

'https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/db7f83-mobile-phone-and-broadband-taskforce/'

There is nothing in the work-plan, previous minutes, timeframes, or terms of reference to suggest any serious intent behind this body.

Short Term: up to 6 months – 1 year Medium Term: 1 – 2 years Long term: 2 – 3 years

clohamon

The Department (DECC) has published the minutes from the meeting of the Mobile and broadband Taskforce in November 2022

Lots of language about 'engagement' and 'review', but it doesn't look like any of the tasks have been completed yet apart from the addition of 5g coverage to ComReg's mobile map.

e.g. Task #6

Seven years after the role of Local Authority Broadband Officer was created, the Department of Community and Rural Development are still not sure what they are for.

There has been engagement between DRCD and the CCMA on this matter throughout 2022. Both parties are closely aligned in terms of priorities for the role of the BBO going forward. The BBOs have played a key role in developing telecoms infrastructure nationally and have driven the uptake of digital technologies for public benefit. A first draft of a role profile has been produced and will be agreed and progressed in 2023.

D/RCD expect there will be a more substantive update at the next meeting.

clohamon

DRCD and DECC are jointly organising an M&BBT "Annual stakeholder" tomorrow February 15th 

It's not clear if consumers are considered as 'stakeholders'.

https://twitter.com/Dept_ECC/status/1625526064335257601

Attendees/non-attendees at the last meeting.

Grab All Association

Eamon Ryan and the awarding of the NBS to Three needs to be investigated. Many areas that were subsided no longer have coverage (not that it ever worked when they did)

clohamon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120241841#Comment_120241841

Looks like a content-free event. A well produced video and a pleasant press release - job done.

A sample.

“The dedicated work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband stakeholders here today is at the heart of Ireland’s progress towards our Climate Action Goals. Broadband and Mobile technology enhances the lives of everyone in Ireland, allowing us to be connected at all stages of life and to access work, education and entertainment wherever we are located. Increased digital connectivity supports communities nationwide to thrive, decreasing car journeys and commute times and supporting a better, more sustainable quality of life for us all. Connectivity is at the heart of community in our digital age. I appreciate the positive energy in the room today and look forward to working with the taskforce towards these common goals in 2023.” (Minister Ossian Smyth TD)

clohamon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120247174#Comment_120247174

Probably we do know what happened, but having heads roll isn't the Irish way.

clohamon

The European Commission is proposing to replace the 2014 Broadband Cost Reduction Directive with a stronger ‘Regulation’ - The Gigabit Infrastructure Act. 

Commissioner Breton hopes to have the regulation passed within the current term ending 31st Oct 2024.

With the GIA, which is a regulation, we set the objective of significantly increasing the reference speed for networks to be deployed from 30 megabits per second to 1 gigabit per second.

To achieve this objective, we propose, firstly, that new buildings and those undergoing major renovation be pre-equipped with fibre optic connections. The great wave of building renovation by 2030, triggered by the Green Pact objectives, represents a tremendous opportunity: this is why we are launching a "fibre-ready" label for buildings.

Secondly, we propose to reduce administrative costs and the burden of authorisation procedures for the deployment of connectivity infrastructure by streamlining and digitalising the process. We even go so far as to propose exempting certain categories of deployments from licensing. The GIA also introduces several measures to ensure that authorisation procedures are speeded up, for example with tacit approval or the right to compensation for damage caused by delays.

Thirdly, the GIA aims to facilitate the coordination of civil works for the deployment of fixed and mobile Gigabit networks.

Finally, it clarifies the conditions for operators to jointly access and use physical infrastructure such as masts, towers and other supports.

It should be borne in mind that civil works account for around 70% of the CAPEX required to roll out fibre networks - which gives an idea of the efficiency gains to be made by avoiding unnecessary parallel digging of streets. All this with less inconvenience to consumers.

clohamon

Taskforce to meet again 'shortly' according to Minister.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) I went to NBI’s board meeting recently. I meet with all the commercial operators and will be meeting with Virgin very soon. We are continuing to have conversations about how we can accelerate further and have the deployment done in less than seven years. Shortly I will go to the mobile phone and broadband task force meeting in Athlone to meet with public and private providers.

clohamon

...more news in "the coming weeks"

The most recent meeting of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce took place in Athlone on 28th April 2023. At this meeting updates were presented on the status of each action, including those which have been completed and can be removed from the Work Programme. An updated Work Programme and an Annual Report of the Taskforce for the period April 2022 to April 2023 will be published in the coming weeks.

clohamon

M&BBT Taskforce Action # 1 - progress

Ensure appropriate enforcement of Article 8 of the Broadband Cost Reduction Directive (‘BCRD’), by promoting the installation of ducting at new builds which specifically supports fibre broadband rollout, made accessible at all locations within the new build.

So, almost 10 years after the relevant 2014 EU Directive ('BCRD') our Department of Housing has now transposed VDSL standards for in-building wiring.

https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2023/si/520/made/en/print?

"high-speed electronic communications network” means an electronic communications network which is capable of delivering broadband access services at speeds of not less than 30 Mbps;"

Regulation 4(3) is quite accommodating regarding the specification.

"The provisions of any guidance contained in a technical guidance document published under paragraph (1) concerning the use of a particular material, method of construction or specification, shall not be construed as prohibiting compliance with a requirement of these Regulations by the use of any other suitable material, method of construction or specification."